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| What does One Nation, One Election mean? View the advantages, drawbacks, and other information here. |
According to reports quoted by PTI on September 1st, the government has established a committee under the leadership of former Indian President Ram Nath Kovind to investigate the prospect of "One Nation, One Election." The committee's report was released on the same day that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi announced that a special session of Parliament would be held for five days from September 18 to 22, 2023.
There was no mention of the special session's agenda in the notice, which will take place days after the G20 Summit. Pralhad Joshi stated on X (formerly Twitter) that he was looking forward to having productive talks and debate in Parliament amid Amrit Kaal.
Since the announcement, rumours about the special session's five-day agenda have started to circulate. According to news agency ANI, one of the agenda issues being discussed is the possibility of dissolving the existing Parliament and calling for early Lok Sabha elections. Some political circles are also debating whether the discussion will centre around On Nation, One Election.
What Exactly Is 'One Nation One Election'?
The Lok Sabha (India's lower house of Parliament) and all state assemblies will be elected at the same time under the "One Nation, One Election" concept. It is intended to hold these elections concurrently, either on a single day or within a set window of time. The decision to urge Kovind to look into it underlines the government's seriousness as a number of elections approach.
PM Modi has long advocated for the notion of holding the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections concurrently. Five states have assembly elections scheduled for this year in November or December. These elections will be followed by the Lok Sabha elections, which are anticipated to take place in May or June 2024.
However, the recent moves by the government have thrown open the possibility of advancing the general elections and some state polls, which are scheduled after and with the Lok Sabha contest, as reported by PTI.
Advantages of "One Nation, One Election" - The main advantages of "One Nation, One Election" are cost savings since holding separate elections requires significant financial resources.
Simultaneous elections would reduce the workload for the security and administrative teams, who would otherwise be involved in several election-related tasks.
According to sources, "One Nation, One Election" will allow the administration to concentrate more on governance rather than being in election mode, which frequently impedes the implementation of policies.
According to the Law Commission, simultaneous elections will boost voter turnout since it will be simpler for people to cast multiple ballots at once, as reported by India Today.
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One Nation One Election' disadvantages:Changes to the Constitution and other legal frameworks would also be necessary to achieve "One Nation, One Election." A constitutional modification would be required for One Nation - One Election, and it would then need to be introduced in state assemblies. It's not a novel idea—it happened four times in the 1950s and 1960s—but India has fewer states and fewer eligible voters, according to sources quoted by ANI.
Furthermore, there is concern that local issues may be eclipsed by national issues, impacting the results of the state elections.
One Nation One Election is challenged by opposition parties, and agreement between all political parties is a big barrier.
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